Commonly used elastomers are designed to resist swelling in oil and in water and brine.
Oil-swellable packers used in sealing systems are available on the market, as well as expandable profilers and coatings that use a water-swellable elastomer.
Most commercially available elastomers exhibit a high resistance to swelling in water and brines, but are not too resistant to swelling in oils. Resistance to water and brine swelling is required for common non-oilfield applications like tires, hose, wire and cable applications, and the like. Many commonly used elastomers exhibit poor resistance to swelling in oil. Other elastomers such as nitrile, hydrogenated nitrile, fluoroelastomers and acrylate-based elastomers are designed to resist swelling in oil and are resistant to swelling in water and brine.
Commonly used elastomers such as EPDM rubber, nitrile rubber, silicone rubber and the like are per se resistant to swelling in water and brine. However there is a need to develop expandable or swellable elastomers in oils or in water and brine and one of the goals of the instant invention is to propose means for rendering those elastomers able to swell in oils or in water and brine for most of the different kinds of elastomeric rubbers.
Another goal of the invention is to propose swellable/expandable elastomers as defined above with good mechanical properties and a good durability lasting for months even years.
Another goal of the invention is to propose swellable/expandable coatings and powders based on elastomers for example for composite cement applications as defined above with good mechanical properties and a good durability lasting for months even years.